Because ionomer resins are lightweight and rigid, and are excellent in adhesion to metal, gloss, and scratch resistance, ionomer resins draw attention of the art as attractive resins for use in automotive exteriors. Depending upon intended uses, however, ionomer resins which are flexible and delustered are desired, while retaining their excellent adhesion to metals or scratch resistance.
In applications where scratch resistance is of paramount importance, it is necessary to use such ionomer resins that they contain increased amounts of metallic ions. The higher the metallic ion content becomes, however, ionomer resins tend to become more rigid and more lustrous. While it is desired to make flexible and delusterd ionomer resins which contain a large amount of metallic ions to become rigid and lustrous, it is not necessarily easy to do so.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 57-190034 discloses a low lustrous ionomer composition comprising about from 40 to 80 % by weight of an ionomer and about from 20 to 60 % by weight of an ethylene/propylene copolymer rubber. With the ionomer composition of this publication, if scratch resistance is sought, it is difficult to obtain a low lustrous composition, whereas low luster can only be achieved at the costs of scratch resistance or heat deformation resistance. In other words it has been difficult to provide an ionomer composition having a combination of the scratch resistance and the low luster.
Our Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 61-36347 discloses a polymer composition having excellent scratch resistance and heat deformation resistance comprising an ionomer and a thermoplastic elastomer derived from olefins. With this polymer composition, again, it has been difficult to realize a combination of scratch resistance and low luster.
Further, the polymer composition of Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 61-36347 involves such problems that a mineral oil softening agent contained in the thermoplastic elastomer derived from olefins, if any, bleeds up to surfaces of shaped articles made of the polymer composition, rendering the surfaces sticky or of poor appearance.
In view of these state of the art, an object of the invention is to provide an ionomer compostion which is excellent in scratch resistance, adhesion to metals, resistance to heat deformation, flexibility, antibleeding property of mineral oil softener contained and low surface gloss.